Feed formulations containing docosahexaenoic acid

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an animal feed or feed ingredient containing from about 0.01% to 1.0% DHA, wherein all, or substantially all of the DHA comes from material that is of non-animal origin and the use of microbially-derived DHA at these low levels provides sufficient DHA for the optimal neurological development of the animal.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0001]The disclosure relates generally to the field of food supplements of algal origin, such as pet foods containing algal DHA.[0002]Animal-derived by-products and meals are currently being added to feed formulations for companion animals. Use of animal by-products to deliver protein, fat or essential amino acids, vitamins, oils and other compounds can be problematic due to the potential for the transmission of disease. This has been recently publicized with Bovine Spongioform Encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) and the transmission of the causative agent (prions) back to the cattle through the feed in spite of extensive processing of that feed.[0003]Vertical transmission of disease between species is also known to occur following consumption of, or contact with infected animals. This can be a significant human public health issue as exemplified by such pathologies as Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD) from the consumption of BSE-infected beef, or H5N1 ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]The present applicants discovered that the requirements for DHA in early neurological development of all animals are much lower than expected and certainly lower than those levels used for tissue enrichment. The applicants further discovered that optimal neurological development could be achieved at dose levels of from 0.1 to 10 mg DHA / kg / day and that this could be done by addition of an algal biomass from Schizochytrium to the feed at levels of from 0.01% up to a maximum of 2.0% of the feed. Indeed, the applicants have discovered that there is a universal requirement for the consumption of about 1 mg DHA / kg / day during the early stages of life for all mammals including, but not limited to, dogs, cats, horses, pigs, sheep, and man, in order to ensure the optimal neurological development of that mammal. Optimal neurological development is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is so the young animal can quickly locate and move to the source of further nutrition.

[0018]It is an object of the subject matter disclosed herein to provide a feed composition for an animal comprising DHA obtained primarily from a non-animal source in order to eliminate any possibility of vertical or horizontal disease transmission. In a preferred embodiment of this subject matter, the animal is a companion animal, and in a most preferred embodiment the companion animal is a dog or a cat.

Problems solved by technology

Use of animal by-products to deliver protein, fat or essential amino acids, vitamins, oils and other compounds can be problematic due to the potential for the transmission of disease.

This can be a significant human public health issue as exemplified by such pathologies as Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD) from the consumption of BSE-infected beef, or H5N1 influenza A from avian influenza-infected birds.

It has devastated some fisheries such as herring, sardine, anchovy, and Menhaden, as they are harvested in mass quantities to process into fishmeal and fish oil.

While they make great fish oil and fishmeal, these small fish also serve as the natural feed for the more commercially desirable fish, and the oceans are being thrown out of balance with their harvest.

Besides ecological and ethical opposition to the use of finite aquatic resources as feed ingredients, and the biological concerns over horizontal and vertical transmission of disease, fishery products have become increasingly contaminated with toxic compounds (e.g., mercury, PCBs, dioxin, pesticides etc.) as many fishing grounds have become increasingly contaminated with industrial pollution.

In recent years, however, the increasing costs of harvest, and the dwindling fishery supply, have resulted in significant increases in the price of fishmeal until it is now considerably higher than most vegetable protein sources even on a protein basis.

Although a lot of work has been done to develop substitutes for fishmeal and fish oil with products like soy and wheat, a high level of replacement has been generally unsuccessful.

Proteins from cereal grains and most other plant protein concentrates fail to supply complete amino acid needs primarily due to a shortage of methionine and / or lysine.

Plant and cereal proteins generally are not in such highly digestible form, and are also accompanied by indigestible fiber.

However, DHA is not produced by conventional plant sources such as soy, corn, palm, canola, etc. and is generally provided in animal feeds in small quantities by the provision of animal byproducts.

However, neither the fungal meal nor the whole fungi have been contemplated for use as a feed ingredient.

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